Buckel flashes signs of comeback in Minors

MIAMI -- Cody Buckel, once one of the Rangers' top pitching prospects, is starting to show signs that he is overcoming his serious control problems.

Buckel pitched two scoreless innings for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach on Tuesday night. He allowed one hit, two walks and three strikeouts. Buckel has a 3.00 ERA in five appearances in August. He has still walked 12 batters in 12 innings, but he allowed only eight hits and struck out 18.

"I give Buckel a lot of credit," farm director Mike Daly said. "He went down to Myrtle Beach, battled and showed a lot of improvement. He has thrown more innings. ... It has been a good year. Hopefully he'll continue to show improvement. It's there. He's shown flashes."

Buckel was the Rangers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2012, when he went 10-8 with a 2.49 ERA in 26 games (23 starts). In 144 innings, he struck out 159 and walked just 48. But '13 turned out to be a washout because of his control issues. Buckel pitched just 10 2/3 innings and walked 35.